Monthly Archives: July 2007
GUEST COMMENTARY: Suicide Bombers are Murderers, Not Martyrs
By Hesham Hassaballa — July 26, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) As terrorists seem to be competing in the barbarity of their vicious attacks across the globe, the question of why people would do such a thing _ although frequently asked _ fails to lose relevance. To this day, Americans continue to ask “why do they hate us?” when it […]
The Holy See Is Going Green
By Frances X. Rocca — July 26, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY _ The Holy See announced earlier this month that it would soon become the world’s first “carbon neutral” sovereign state, planting trees in a Hungarian national park to offset the carbon-dioxide emissions and energy use of Vatican City. It was only the latest of several recent statements and […]
Coffee Hour At Church Takes On a New Twist
By RNS Blog Editor — July 26, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service MIDLAND, Mich. _ Messiah Lutheran Church’s drive-through coffee cafe _ the first such venture in Michigan’s Saginaw Valley _ is the latest twist on reaching the masses. Housed inside a 4,900-square-foot section in the front of the church, the cafe, called “journeys,” offers a full line of Italian-style and espresso […]
Grand jury refuses to indict doctor for patient deaths after Katrina
By RNS Blog Editor — July 26, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service NEW ORLEANS _ Closing one of the most sensational chapters in post-Katrina New Orleans, Dr. Anna Pou said she fell to her knees and thanked God when she learned Tuesday (July 24) that a grand jury had refused to charge her with murdering patients in Memorial Medical Center in the […]
RNS Weekly Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — July 25, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service Interfaith Leaders Commend North Korean Nuclear Pact (RNS) An interfaith coalition of religious leaders is congratulating the Bush administration for reaching an agreement with North Korea to shutdown its nuclear weapons facilities. “The agreement with North Korea demonstrates the value of diplomacy in preventing the spread of nuclear weapons,” the […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — July 25, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service Vatican Appeals To Stop Execution of Georgia Man (RNS) The Vatican is appealing to U.S. officials to commute the death sentence of a Georgia man convicted of killing a police officer in 1989. Saying that a number of key witnesses have recanted their testimonies, the Vatican embassy in Washington sent […]
Asian Christians Take Scriptural Themes to Art
By Christ Herlinger — July 25, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service NEW YORK _ If Nalini Jayasuriya, Sawai Chinnawong, Nyoman Darsane, He Qi and Wisnu Sasongko are not household names in the Western art world, they are still better known in the West than in their own countries. These five contemporary Asian artists are all Christians, working as members of a […]
Islamic Banking Bilks the Pious, Critics Say
By Omar Sacirbey — July 25, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Rizwan Kadir liked working in finance, but when he read a verse in the Quran that said engaging in usury was the same as “waging war” against God and Islam’s prophet Muhammad, fear struck him. “When you come across an aya (verse) like this, it makes you start wondering […]
COMMENTARY: Learning to Live Small in the Big City
By Tom Ehrich — July 25, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) My adjustment to being a resident of New York City, as opposed to a frequent visitor, began with donning the New York Yankees cap my eldest son gave me at a welcome lunch. That wasn’t a small adjustment for a longtime Boston Red Sox fan. Next adjustments were picnicking […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — July 24, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service Government of El Salvador Supports Beatification of Murdered Archbishop (RNS) The government of El Salvador said it will ask the Vatican to beatify Catholic Archbishop Oscar Romero, but that it’s not responsible for his assassination. David Morales, a Salvadoran church representative, said the government’s support is a “smoke screen” intended […]
`Saving Grace’ Blends Sacred and Profane
By RNS Blog Editor — July 24, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Is the world ready for an R-rated drama about angels? For a gritty crime drama that’s one part “NYPD Blue” for every part “Touched by an Angel”? In “Saving Grace” a new television drama which was to begin broadcasting Monday on TNT, a troubled Oklahoma City cop played by […]
Tammy Faye Messner, Ex-Wife of Fallen Televangelist, Dies at 65
By David Mark — July 24, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Tammy Faye Messner, the ex-wife of disgraced televangelist Jim Bakker whose heavy makeup and emotive personality became prominent features on the face of their televised Christian ministry, died Friday (July 20) at her home near Kansas City, Mo. Messner was 65. “She died peacefully in her home,” said a […]
Actor Plays Divine Role for More than 35 Years
By RNS Blog Editor — July 24, 2007
c. 2007 Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly VIENNA, Va. _ Ted Neeley has played the title role in “Jesus Christ Superstar,” stage for 36 years. That’s longer than Jesus’ own life on earth, according to many scholars. “Don’t anyone believe that I am Jesus Christ,” Neeley says. “I am a rock and roll drummer from Texas […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — July 21, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Sees Membership Decline (RNS) The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America saw a slight drop in membership in 2006, continuing a trend of decline of more than a decade. The total of baptized members at the end of 2006 was 4,774,203, a 1.6 percent decrease from […]
The Great Commission 2.0: Online Children’s Ministry
By RNS Blog Editor — July 21, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) For kids these days, Internet security is hard to come by. But for kids concerned about eternal security, the Net’s precisely the place to be. Dozens of Christian groups are rethinking flannel graphs and 10 a.m. Sunday school classes, finding that there may be a bigger, better way to […]
